Member Article

Strong results for Huddersfield-based solicitors practice as growth continues

Fast-growing Yorkshire law firm Ridley and Hall has put in a strong performance with revenue increasing by almost 21% year on year.

The Huddersfield-based firm that opened an office in Leeds in 2018 and in Pontefract this year, saw revenues rise from £2.4m for the year ending 30th June 2018 to £2.9m in its latest financial year. The 71-strong team serves clients in the region and across the UK, its specialisms include family, private client and property law.

Emma Pearmaine, managing director of Ridley & Hall, explained: “We have had a really busy 12 months across all our practice areas with property performing particularly strongly – turnover increased by 31% in residential work and by 21% in commercial. Our family team also saw revenues grow by 18% and private client rose by 10%.

“As well as investing in our IT and processes to help us operate as efficiently as possible, over the last year we have also spent time developing our career progression plans to ensure that we attract and retain talent. For the first time, we have appointed associates, introduced a formal process for partner applications and opened up both associate and partner applications to non-lawyers within the team. We are well aware of the importance of our people and we have already seen a number of them benefitting from these new opportunities.”

Over the last year, solicitor Laura Milburn and personal assistant Nicky Butterworth were both promoted to associates in the care team; solicitor Ashley Sowerby became an associate in residential property; and HR and operations manager Tracey Armitage, solicitor Vicky Ridge and solicitor David Amies (commercial property) all became partners. Ridley and Hall also awarded training contracts to three paralegals.

Ms Pearmaine continues: “As a firm, we have established a strong reputation in some very niche fields of law, such as contentious probate, missing persons, elderly abuse, adoption and kinship. We are benefitting from client recommendations as a result of our specialist technical knowledge and our focus on client care. As well as growing the team, we have also been realising our ambition of taking our offering further afield. This is already having a positive impact with the Leeds office we opened last year contributing 16% of this year’s revenues, and we expect our new Pontefract office announced in September to add to our success.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Emma Kilmurray .